Q. How many Dfs roots can a server that runs Windows Server 2003 or Windows 2000 Server hold?

A. There are two types of Dfs roots: standalone roots and Active Directory-integrated roots. Both Windows 2003- and Win2K Server-based Active Directory (AD) solutions can hold multiple Active Directory-integrated Dfs roots, meaning that AD can hold more than one root regardless of the server version. However, each root must have one or more targeted servers to "present" the root on behalf of the domain--a requirement that creates some limitations.

All versions of Win2K Server can host only one root per server. Thus, if you have multiple roots in Win2K AD, you need multiple Win2K Server Dfs servers, each of which presents one of the roots. Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition is also limited to one root. However, Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition can host multiple Dfs roots with no set limit.